The instant application relates generally to a bag-closure clamp. More particularly, the instant invention is directed to a clamp useful in sealing ostomy bags.
Most ostomy bags are used by patients who have had, for example, colostomy, uterostomy, or like operations performed, whereby artificial passageways are formed through the human body.
Many colostomy patients, for example, make use of such an ostomy bag for the purpose of collecting soft or formed fecal material or urine or both. Such ostomy bags usually require bag-closure devices.
Most commerically available (prior art) bag-closure devices comprise, briefly, a first leg which is hingedly connected to a second leg. First end portions of the legs are usually connected together thereby providing each of the legs with a second or free-end portion. Many of these prior art devices also usually include a clasp, a hook, or other means for holding the free ends of the two legs relatively proximately together. See, for example, the U.S. Pat. No. 1,186,656 to Fridolph at page 1, lines 29-31 in connection with lines 47-54, or the U.S. Pat. No. 2,897,825 to Wagner at column 1, lines 58-60. Many of these clasps or hooks are difficult to manually manipulate.
It is well known that devices incorporating these mechanical features of elements have been used as barrettes for human hair (see, for example, the '825 patent at column 1, lines 15-17 in connection with lines 52-54), as clasps for clasping hair dressings, millinery, drapery or dresswear (see the '656 patent at page 1, lines 1-8 in connection with lines 76-79), or as adjusters for adjusting the length of belts or bands (see, for example, the U.S. Pat. No. 3,824,654 to Takabayashi at column 1, lines 3-8).
It is also well known, moreover, that many of the prior art devices which function principally as bag-closure devices are constructed such that when the legs of the bag-closure device are spread apart, a suitable balloon, bag, or envelope member having a neck (such an envelope member may include more than one opening) is generally transversely interposable therebetween at the neck thereof; and, after transverse interposition of the neck between the spread-out legs, the legs are urgeable together so that the clasp or holding means of the bag-closure device can be used to hold the two legs together, thereby securely holding the neck therebetween. In many prior art devices, the neck of the bag or envelope is held securely and initially sealed tightly so as to provide either an air-tight seal (see, for example, the U.S. Pat. No. 3,094,807 to Dorman, the U.S. Pat. No. 3,978,555 to Weisenthal, or the U.S. Pat. No. 4,296,529 to Brown) or a fluid-tight seal (see, for example, the U.S. Pat. No. 3,523,534 to Nolan, or the U.S. Pat. No. 3,874,042 to Eddleman et al).
For many closure devices where air or fluid tight sealing is a desideratum, it has been found, however, that the tight-sealing feature generally decays with time (i.e., such as would be caused by warpage or misalignment of the legs through use or aging) to where the closure device is no longer useful for the intended purpose.
For ostomy bag-closure devices it is a desideratum therefore that the device have a tight-sealing feature (as above described) which does not substantially decay with time. Additionally desirable features of such a bag-closure device are: (1) that the bag-closure device, when clamped, have a curvature which substantially conforms to the curvature of a predetermined region of the human body; (2) that the device, as it extends from the surface of the human body, be relatively thin so that it is substantially inconspicuous; (3) that the bag-closure device be able to accommodate a wide variety of bag thicknesses; and (4) that the device manually readily be clampable and openable, preferably with one hand.